Fall Share Week 1: Summer holdovers and new fall arrivals grace your box

In your share’s this week, you will have the following vegetables. 

Garlic (one pound), onions, winter squash (delicata and acorn), Brussels sprouts (best ever), sage, eggplant, sweet peppers, hot peppers, lettuce, Korean torpedo melons, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, potatoes (from Northern Harvest). One week fall share members will also get a pound of carrots.

This newsletter includes a roundup of news from the farm as well as information and recipes. Feel free to jump to the bottom of the newsletter to find the section titled, “This week’s veggies and recipes.”

News from the farm

In a nutshell, our backs are sore. Today, Kristina, Heather-Marie and John finished harvesting all of our winter squash and pumpkins from the field. It took two trips with the trailer and the van to get them all loaded and into the greenhouse.

We have pumpkins the size of Volkswagens and winter squash to get us all through the long winter nights, provided you know how to store them. Each member is also getting a hefty sampling of our garlic: one pound each for all Fall shares.

But, first and foremost, let’s call attention to the potatoes. Because we didn’t grow them. For the first time in our farm’s history, we made the decision to buy potatoes from another farm to make sure Fall Shares had quality potatoes. After a dismal potatoe season for us, we needed to make sure our members got some good pototoes to close out the season.

https://www.northernharvestfarm.com

It’s fitting that we got those potatoes from Rick Dalen and his team at Northern Harvest Farm. That’s where Heather-Marie got her start as a farmer as a CSA member for a couple of years before interning there in 2010 before starting her own farm. So, today, John drove over and picked up 200 pounds of gold and russet potatoes for our Fall Shares. They were washed, sorted and boxed and waiting for us. And, no surprise, they were gorgeous. Rick and his team do great work. They also sell amazing fermented products as owners of Spirit Creek Farm. Thank you, Rick (and happy birthday Karola.)

This weekend, we are not having a farm stand and, instead, will head out to our favorite campground for a few days of quiet and relaxation.

In the meantime, we keep trying to put up food and harvest and get the field read for next year, even though this year isn’t over.

Images from the farm

This week’s vegetables and recipes

Garlic

Each Fall Share member gets a full pound of garlic. It’s a mix of the two varieties we grow: Music and German Extra Hardy. If you want seed garlic, contact us and we can give you specific varieties.

How to store garlic.

This was stolen from the internet. Sorry.

Store whole heads

Keep whole heads of garlic in a cool, dry place with good air circulation, like a mesh bag or loosely woven basket. You can store them in your pantry or on your counter, but keep them out of the sun. Keeping the bulb whole is best, as a broken bulb will last about 10 days.

Another option: Lebanese garlic sauce

One day at the farm stand, a woman named Tabatha showed up at the farm stand and said she was excited to take our garlic and make something called Tuome. Tell us more, we said. And she shared a recipe.

Make this. It’s amazing and will change your life.

Notes
Recipe: This recipe was adapted from Maureen Abood
Storage: Store the Lebanese Garlic Sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2
months. Over time, the flavor of the garlic will become more subtle but it will stay fresh and
Cuisinart Food Processor

• 1 cup garlic cloves
• peeled
• 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
• 3 cups neutral oil, such as safflower
• 1⁄2 cup lemon juice

Instructions

1. Slice the garlic cloves in half lengthwise and remove any green sprouts.
2. Transfer the sliced garlic cloves into a food processor and add the kosher salt to the garlic
   cloves. Process for a minute until the garlic becomes finely minced. Make sure to scrape
   down the sides of the food processor afterwards.
3. While the food processor is running, slowly pour one to two tablespoons of oil, then stop
   and scrape down the bowl. Continue adding another tablespoon or two until the garlic
   starts looking creamy.
4. Once the garlic looks emulsified by the few tablespoons of oil, increase the speed of
   pouring the oil and alternate with the 1/2 cup of lemon juice until all the oil and lemon juice
   is incorporated. This will take about 15 minutes to complete.
5. Transfer the sauce into a glass container and cover with a paper towel in the fridge
   overnight. Makes about 4 cups.
6. The next day, replace the paper towel with an airtight lid and keep in the fridge for up to 3
   months.

Delicata Squash Tacos

From Happy Acre Farm

• 1 delicata squash
• 2 sweet peppers, sliced in strips
• ½ -1  jalapeno, minced
• 1 medium candy onion, sliced
• 1 tsp Garam Masala
• Handful parsley, minced
• Homemade guacamole
• 2-3 limes
• High heat oil
• Salt and pepper
• Tortillas

Preheat the oven to 350. Heat 3 ½ tablespoons oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the peppers and sautee, stirring every so often, until soft, 15-18 minutes. When they are nearly done, squeeze a lime over them.

Take the delicata and slice it lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and slice the two halves into thin crescents. Take the seeds, toss them in oil and place in a small baking dish, when ready bake until golden brown, 10-15 minuets. Once they’re out of the oven toss with salt and let cool.

Heat  ¼ cup oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the garam masala and fry it for a minute, making sure to stay nearby and stir frequently. Add the onions, reduce the heat to medium-low, cook for 5 minutes. Add the delicata, stirring to coat in the garam masala oil combination, cover with a lid and let cook. Check 10 minutes later, stir, cover again and let cook until they’re soft, and have a nice brown caramelization, 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool, salt to taste.

Heat the tortillas, then place on a large platter. Layer the delicata and the red peppers. Top with a dab of guacamole, some roasted seeds, a sprinkle of parsley and a good squeeze of lime.